Members of the Lehman family of Montgomery Township will receive diplomas in Waynesboro Saturday

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By Denise Bonura/The Record Herald

Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

By Denise Bonura/The Record Herald

Posted Jun. 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM

By Denise Bonura/The Record Herald

Posted Jun. 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM

It’s never too late to receive a diploma. And 46-year-old Eunice Lehman of Montgomery Township is living proof of this.

Lehman, the mother of nine — ranging in age from 6 to 23 — and grandmother of one, will receive her GED (General Educational Development) diploma in Waynesboro Saturday, along with her 21-year-old daughter Anita and 17-year-old son Gareth. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. in the Waynesboro Area Middle School.

“Nowadays you need a diploma to pursue an occupation, and since I had nothing, I thought, ‘It’s now or never,’” Eunice said.

The Welsh Run Road resident has registered with The Arc of Franklin and Fulton Counties in hopes of caring for mentally challenged individuals.

Anita Lehman said she wanted to receive her diploma to become a certified nursing assistant. Since September, Anita has passed GED and CNA tests, and is employed at Lincoln Christian Home in Ephrata.

Eunice encouraged Gareth, a local mechanic, to get his GED diploma, too.

“I told him he might as well get his along with us since you need a diploma,” she said. “Back when I went to school you didn’t need a diploma. Nowadays you need one just to wash dishes.”

Preparing for future

Eunice, who has been out of school for 30 years, said she also wanted her diploma in case she has to find more permanent work in the future. Her husband, Keith, suffered major head injuries in 2005 when his milk truck was hit by a train at the Milnor Road crossing near Greencastle. He underwent a five-hour reconstructive surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and has since recovered from the accident. However, Eunice said he has suffered permanent side effects, and she is preparing in case he cannot work full time down the road.

Eunice said she was able to attend the free GED classes in Waynesboro two nights a week thanks to help from her sister-in-law who cared for the couple’s younger children. She added when her sister-in-law wasn’t available, the staff allowed her to bring two of her younger children to class.

“We succeeded! We are all very happy,” she said. “This is an accomplishment we will always remember.”